


Consideration

by Astra_Across_the_Stars



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: F/M, Rigel Black Chronicles - murkybluematter - Freeform, Rigel Black Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23978026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astra_Across_the_Stars/pseuds/Astra_Across_the_Stars
Summary: Over the years, Leo has thought a lot about Harry. It might have taken self-imposed exile and a war, but she is finally considering what Leo means to her.Based on the characters from murkybluematter’s Rigel Black Chronicles for the Rigel Black Exchange.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 95
Collections: Rigel Black Chronicles Appreciation, Rigel Black Exchange Round 1





	Consideration

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sagana_Rojana_Olt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagana_Rojana_Olt/gifts).



Leo had waited for years. Granted those were very eventful years, and it wasn’t like he was a damsel waiting at a window for her prince to wake up…no. He was too busy for that. And if he was entirely honest with himself, the analogy hit a little too close for comfort. 

But he had waited. Years interspersed with uprisings and raids and fire and death, he had waited for her. 

From the very first moment he had met her, Leo had known he would be following along her coattails for several years to come. She had such a determined air about her. But her determination also broke his heart. She was so strong and so committed to her façade; she never let her guard down. Even with friends. Even with him.

He had known since the Tournament. Really it had been obvious. Leo could tell that she had tried to throw him off by not actually free-dueling, but ‘Rigel’s’ movements had been so fluid and familiar, and he (she, he reminded himself) had dispatched her opponents with such clinical precision…

Leo had met Arcturus Black. Archie Black could never have been so cold. Archie could be a pompous little lordling, but not a deadly fighter. That was all Harry.

He had to laugh, when it clicked. It was all so elaborate yet so simple, and covered up with watered down truths masquerading as lies. Harry and Archie must have tried so hard to make sure absolutely no one would even come close to guessing what they had done. The lengths they must have gone to…it was truly incredible. Leo sighed, contemplating.

But like every time he tried to understand Harry and Archie, the fond amusement turned worried and sad. For all of their schemes and preparation, neither of the two cousins considered that someone could have discovered them, and truly it had happened by accident. Years ago Leo had promised Harry that he wouldn’t actively try and discover the secret of her vacant apartment in the Alleys, and he had kept that promise. He had promised not to bother her at school, and he had kept that promise. But despite the promises Leo offered, all it took was a casual, completely unintentional glance at a mirror to break her secret open. So Leo worried.

That summer, Leo began his preparations. There were things to be packed, defenses to be created, and contingency plans to be made. And that was just for Harry. The Lower Alleys began a complete defensive overhaul to make sure his people would be safe and have a way to escape in case the worst happened.

Which of course it did.

—————————————LH

When she came home Christmas break of her fifth year, beaming, and not-saying something Very Important about her ‘friend’ from ‘school’, he had to smile at her. She looked so happy. Inside, of course, the part of Leo that was still just a boy cracked.

With all of his ‘big brother’ concern (for he supposed that’s what he was now), he teased her about a boy and warned her to be careful while she was having fun.

The scathing, mockingly betrayed look she shot him was priceless.

He stuck close to her for that whole break, drinking in her uncharacteristic brightness. When she left for ‘America’, he told her to take care. Rispah noticed, he was sure, how melancholy he was after her departure (“You seem sadder than usual, Leo.”) And he guessed she had an idea about why. Merlin, everyone in the Alleys with eyes knew how he felt about Harry.

The world got darker, so he tried to forget about his worsening heartbreak, and prepare for the storm.

—————————————LH

The storm hit hard, and sooner than Leo had anticipated. Scar was this ’Voldemort’ and the world was in uproar…and Harry was discovered.

—————————————HP

Harry did not plan to stay in Magical Britain long. She apparated straight from Hogsmeade in the aftermath of the battle right to her apartment. Leo was waiting. (Of course he was.)

He handed her a bag and a mirror.

“I’ve contacted Remus. He’s the only one I could find quickly enough.” Harry’s eyebrow involuntarily quirked. Leo’s brow quirked right back. “Fine, that Rispah could find. He can meet you at this location.” He held out a rumpled scrap of parchment. 

Harry took the parchment and glanced questioningly up at Leo.

“How did you know to come here?” At that, Leo laughed.

“Lass, I’ve known this was going to happen for over a year. You’ve kept your apartment here for years, your dueling style is really quite distinctive, and once I knew you were at Hogwarts…well, I’ve been waiting for the moment when it would all come crashing down. I made you a promise I would help you.” 

Harry sagged a bit. A whole year? Leo had known for an entire year about Hogwarts, about the Ruse, about everything? She opened her mouth to speak but he forestalled her objection with a hand. “I also promised I wouldn’t pry. You would have been even more guarded if I had told you I knew.”

This was true. Harry would probably not have come back to the Alleys at all had he told her…for fear of slipping up even more. The logical part of her brain that was not overwhelmed by this information or the adrenaline of her previous escape acknowledged that this colossal explosion of the Ruse was probably inevitable, and Leo seemed more prepared and equipped to deal with recent events than even she could have anticipated. She finally glanced around the room and noticed it was full of life. There were casual traces of habitation all over. A half-filled mug on a table, slight piles of dust under a sofa, and open books and parchments lying all around.

“Harry from the Alleys has been busy with her self-study. But I hear she has been gone on vacation for at least the last week.” Leo’s voice broke through her thoughts and she turned back to him. There were so many words she couldn’t think to say. The thought and effort that must have gone into every part of Leo’s plan—

“Thank you. Really, this is—“

“You should really go. I might be able to cover for you here for a short while, but anti-apparition wards could be erected at any time. Go.” Harry nodded, and before she could think about it, she started forward and gave him a brief hug.

“Thank you.”

She disapparated.  
—————————————LH

Harry had been missing for several years now. Leo didn’t know where she had gone, but he hoped for her sake that she was safe and far away from England.

—————————————LH

Centuries had passed since the Rogue had legitimately walked the halls of the Wizengamot. Leo never thought that he would have come here in an official capacity. But these were different times. Post Voldemort, the Wizarding World was in uproar. Not only had a terrorist been killed, but he had been taken down by…himself? Even Leo, who knew several of the main participants, was unsure of the details. Some said that Voldemort was a dark Shade of Lord Riddle. Others thought Riddle had created Voldemort, but the creation had gone out of control. A magical Frankenstein's monster. But in the fight against Voldemort, all that was certain was that many people had died, including Lord Riddle himself. 

Later, Harry would tell him that Riddle sacrificed himself to destroy the most evil and misguided part of himself. Harry never liked the man, but she respected his final actions. Leo could only be thankful that Harry hadn’t taken that sacrifice upon herself.

But entering the grand chamber of the Wizengamot now was a sacrifice of a different sort. In the aftermath of war, certain restructuring was in order, including the reintegration of the Court of the Rogue into the Ministry of Magic. A Ministry now run by the young Draco Malfoy.

Leo was perfectly cordial to Draco Malfoy. While Archie Black was a little lording, Draco Malfoy was a lord in his own right. The recent years of war and turmoil had polished Draco Malfoy into a keen yet compassionate politician. At his side stood Miss Parkinson, who according to rumour was the lady responsible for bringing the Light and Dark factions together. To all the world they were a powerful pair, but Leo couldn’t help but notice the empty space they created, hinting at a missing third.

—————————————LH

Leo found her in her apartment. The room was still bare, with only the most basic pieces of furniture, but now there were drying herbs on the table, jars of eyes on a dresser, and vials of unidentifiable ingredients stacked neatly on a counter. Harry herself sat cross-legged on the floor in front of a cauldron, carefully stirring counterclockwise as the potion she was working on changed from orange to a brilliant blue. Leo stood silently, leaning against the door frame. Harry added some leaves that Leo couldn’t identify at this angle, and the potion abruptly began to bubble. Before Leo had time to react, Harry had thrown up a shield around the cauldron and stepped hurriedly away as the cauldron itself fizzled.

Leo caught her before she could bowl him over and she whipped around in surprise, her body tense. He felt the moment when Harry recognized him, several worrying seconds later, when the magical crackle in the air subsided and Harry seemed to deflate.

“Leo,” she said in relief, “I didn’t…when did…you surprised me.”

“You can calm down, lass—Harry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” She looked affronted.

“I wasn’t frightened, just careful.”

“Of course.” He nodded over to the slowly disintegrating cauldron with a gentle smirk. “Careful enough to murder a perfectly innocent cauldron.”

Harry followed his gaze and sighed. “I’m not sure what happened with that. The potion was perfectly stable before I added the Angel’s Trumpet leaves, and the leaves shouldn’t have adversely interacted with any of the ingredients. Unless of course there is extra cellulose in the leaves as opposed to the petals, which would speed up the reaction with the armadillo bile before I had time to add the baneberries.”

“Brewing a Tonic for Trace-Detection, are you? I’ve heard you need a permit for that.” Leo kept his tone light, but if some of his concern bled through he wouldn’t apologize for it.

Harry just looked thoughtful. “Sometimes I forget you grew up the son of the Potions Aldermaster, Leo. But no, I wasn’t specifically brewing a Tonic for Trace-Detection. I was playing around with a potion that would let someone visualize and interact with their magical core. It seems that most people don’t really have an understanding with their magic, and that limits their imagination and ability to do so much more magic. I really want to expand shaped imbuing to the general public…maybe even teach it in schools. It’s such a versatile technique, and if more people could use it just imagine where magical research could go in the next 10-20 years!”

She kept talking, detailing her plans for her potion and for revolutionizing the potions community, and Leo could only smile. There were scars on her arms that had not been there when the first met, and every so often he caught Harry suppressing a tremor, but she was here and she was safe and she was whole. Leo walked with Harry over to the counter where she could show him all of her new potions ingredients and stood there in wonder as she enthusiastically explained the differences in the soil two different plants had grown in and how that affected their magical properties.

Harry was safe, the Alleys were safe, and Leo would happily stay in this spot forever.

——————————————HP

Harry had never truly considered Leo, in all their years of friendship. Analytically, she considered him all the time. Leo was a good leader, inventive and dependable in a fight, and he liked to tease her. There had been glimpses over the years of something deeper than friendship when he looked at her, which Harry tried very hard to ignore, but she had never fully considered what that meant—what that meant for her. She had always thought she didn’t have time for romance. The Ruse had been at stake, after all. Plus the whole Lord Riddle/Voldemort/Scar debacle had very obviously taken up all of her mental, physical, and emotional energy. 

But then there had been Draco. He’d figured it out, of course, in fifth year, when her hormones finally took over. Her mind had valiantly attempted to fight back against the emotions and feelings, but right before Yule, the emotions and feelings won. Harry had been sure that would have been the end of the Ruse and the end of their friendship. She had lied to him for five years. But he seemed to love her, even though she was a female and not actually Rigel Black. And after Archie, Draco had always been her best friend; he had known her the best. She thought it had been perfect. 

He hadn’t known her as well as she thought.

In her years abroad, learning free-brewing and finding cures and healing people, she hadn’t kept in much contact with the world at home. When she had run off, no one had followed her except Remus. When she had come back, though her friends and family had welcomed her eagerly, there was a…distance. She had no more secrets, but she worried it was the secrets that had kept them close. So after her return, after the battle that claimed the lives of Riddle and Voldemort, after the adrenaline that had bonded her friends in combat, she had left.

Harry had heard that Draco had been elected Minister for Magic, with Pansy as his Senior Undersecretary. She supposed she should go and congratulate them, but they seemed successful and content as they were, together. She didn’t want to hurt them, and she wouldn’t intrude on their life.

Standing here, looking at Leo inspect her meticulously ordered ingredients, her breath caught. She struggled to meet his hazel eyes, for fear of…something. Rationally, she thought she shouldn’t be afraid. She had stared down Tom Riddle, had dueled Voldemort, had withstood a dragon. But there was something about Leo now that made her shy away.

Maybe it was the memory of his casual grace when he waited for her in the Alleys, and the way his face lit up when he saw her.

Maybe it was how he respected her privacy while pushing her boundaries and buttons at the same time.

Maybe it was the way she felt safe next to him.

Maybe it was the way he called her Harry. 

She considered that last thought. More often than not, Leo would call her ‘lass’. But when it mattered, when he was serious and thoughtful, he called her Harry. Not Rigel, not Harriet, not Harry Potter, and not even Harry-from-the-Lower-Alleys. She was just Harry. With no strings attached.

And even now Leo didn’t ask anything of her. He was just here. Just Leo. And maybe, she thought, that would be enough. At least for now.

Harry finally looked up to see Leo had turned his gaze back to her, ingredients forgotten.

“Harry,” was all he said, and before she could lose her nerve, she responded.

“Is the Phoenix still around?” At his nod, she bit the inside of her lip and asked, “Do you maybe, er, want to go get a drink? I might actually get butterbeer this time instead of milk, and you obviously can get whatever you want, but we also don’t have to if you don’t want to, it’s really up to you. I won’t be offended—“ she stopped when she saw the broad grin spread across his face.

“Harry, are you asking me on a date?” She nodded. “Finally? After all these years?” She nodded again, slower this time. He stepped back and bowed. “My lady, it would be my honor to escort you on a date to the Dancing Phoenix.”

And so they went.

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe sometime in the future I will add another chapter with more scenes from Harry’s POV, but they didn’t quite fit in this version. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
